What If
by Snow22
Summary: Aang may not be the last Airbender after all. When meeting a shy new Airbending nun his age, which path will Aang choose? KATAANG
1. The Vision

What If…

The Kataang Story of keeping faith.

Part One: The Dream and the Meeting

Aang had a dream, more vivid and alive than anything he had ever seen. The fabric he wore, he could see every fiber intertwined. The sunlight was blazing hot even though it was nighttime. He stood amongst the dying monks, their blood spilt over the temples and bodies becoming torched by fire. They were not given mercy, the commanders demanding that they see the rulers. They were looking for him. He could see the sweat sheen on the foreheads of the airbenders knowing that this was their last fight. And there was a girl, his age staring straight at him. Her long brown hair had slight bangs covering her newly tattooed arrow. She blinked wide hazel eyes, the rays reflecting each movement as she was her parents die in front of her. She had witnessed this pain.

Just as the fighting seemed it would not end, she began to dash towards the entrance but was blocked securely by a guard. Her eyes filled with tears held up a staff, knowing that she was going to die. But instead she was swept off by a mysterious woman in a mask covering any feature he might had indulged in. The temple began to burn, the heat incinerating any leftover bodies. Aang stood there, staring at it with tears running down his face and screamed aloud as he woke up next to Katara's sleeping bag. The two had been traveling across the country after he saved the world, trying to find a nice place to relax amongst themselves. He was breathing hard, each one making him exhausted and overworked. He touched the tip of his scalp feeling fuzzy hair attempting to burst through the surface. They currently were resting quite close to one another on the surface of the Ba-Sing-Se wall. Although separated by the bags, he could feel the warmth of her heavily slumbering body radiate simply making his a wonderful temperature. But the cold sweat covering his entire being made him throw it off, beginning to pace towards an abandoned watcher's post. The waterbender arose from slumber sensing that he was not with her, looking up towards the source of her power. The moonbeams drew the night air into a great silence, not even the crickets were stirring in the summer heat. With her hair down in its wavy thick locks, she felt the cold concrete wall beneath her bare feet, almost completely nude to the world. The only thing preventing exposure to the world was her chest bindings and a long night skirt made of pure silk. The wind gently caressed her, she smiled at the irony of seeing her boyfriend crossing his arms with dark bags under his eyes staring up towards the stars. In a nurturing way as always she took a shoulder in her palm and turned him slightly towards her.

"What's with the face?" She asked slightly teasing.

He gave another long sigh and just couldn't stop from grinning at her beautiful features seeming just to glow from the light. But once the question entered his cerebrum, he shrugged and told while rubbing his temples, "I've been having dreams. Terrifying nightmares in fact. They've been sharp, and detailed beyond anything I've ever experienced."

"What did you see?"

He held her close, his grip tight around the small of her back and said muffling, "I saw the destruction of my people. I saw people getting killed, dying. And there was a girl, my age. She looked so scared, and she hadn't done anything at all. She went to face against the fire nation, to tell someone of the killing but she was taken away before she could do that. But there's this feeling inside me, something that I've been wanting to know for a while…" His voice trailed, looking at the Earth Nation city, all lights were dimmed and windows closed. The curtains shut out any sound that vibrated through the empty streets. She enclosed his palms within hers, the two balancing foreheads while staring into each other's eyes.

"What do you want to know Aang?"

"I want to know if I really am the last."


	2. The Encounter

Chapter one:

The words echoed through his head, spoken from his follower as they climbed down the wall in a careful manner. He made sure each slope he created was perfectly smooth for her sensitive feet, taking her body up and down as the parried down. The sharp whistle of the wind nearly forced them to stop, having let Appa and Mo-Mo off at the southern air temple for a well deserved rest. "There is a prophet that came to the Fire Nation a while back ago."

He looked to the cloud's, Katara's waist held snug in his palm. A long journey by foot awaited and together they began to trudge foreword. "Zuko told me that she is a great and powerful spirit bond to this world in the form of a simple human girl. He told me that some people refer to her as being a goddess."

A goddess…Aang could feel chills up his spine as they continued to bounce throughout his mind. He imagined something completely inhuman about the creature she was describing. The rain began to pour down but the two just bent the water out of their way making it seem dry and sunny the whole way through.

"Her name is Phoenix, named after the bird that gave her life once more. She was captured a long time ago getting adapted to the body and chained by Ozai. She didn't harm anybody and attempted to free herself. Initially it was Zuko who freed her, also making her captive to this world as well. She was said to have been born of the dragons, and helped shape the nation, mothering its first children. If anyone knows the answers, it's got to be her."

The two stood finally at the entranceway to the small secluded temple, rounded in shape just outside the bustling city of the Fire Lord' Castle. It was not huge in size, looking more like a hut than a temple for worshiping such an important figure. Local thieves and merchants stood underneath its gutters next to the scowling gargoyles ending the drainpipes. Most rubbed their hands for warmth, having little clothing on in the surprisingly chilled air. She opened the curtain blocking the entrance and guided Aang inside, giving him a slight nudge to encourage him. In the light of the flaming statue of a bird sat the girl with cherry colored hair, sitting cross-legged with hands relaxed in a meditated pose. She craned her neck, ears flickering with each footstep he lightly took against the floor. A smile spread across her face, opening red eyes still faced the opposite way. "An air-bender and a water-bender have come to my presence. And not just any other but the Avatar himself. And his lover…"

The two blushed upon hearing this statement as the girl rose, stretching her body in yoga poses. She turned her neck around and instantly Aang felt the maternal grip of her stare alone. He felt so comfortable and warm, held in an embrace without touch. When she smiled it caused his shoulders to ease from tension, nearly stumbling to Katara who stood speechless to her beauty. "You seemed concerned. And even if I am a prophet, I cannot read the mind of a thousand minds. Please tell me your troubles Avatar."

He quickly gave a bow and was hesitant at first. Katara squeezed his hand, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Go on."

"Great Bird of Eternal Flame, I've been having these strange dreams. I think they may be trying to tell me something. So I have to know…am I the very last Airbender?"

Phoenix shifted around staring into her flame, the center turning a hot white within her concentration. She rose her hands into the air, the fire following her will as she looked back at the avatar, his brown eyes full of curiosity. She died the flames down and sat on the floor with eyes closed. "No."

Aang's shoulders felt completely free of weight. "Wait then…where is she? What is her name? How is she still alive?"

"One question at a time!" Katara said, slightly pulling on the fuzzy hair lining his skull. He winced in pain as Phoenix chuckled lightly. "I could tell you all those answers but I will let you discover them on your own. I will tell you something though. Her name is Kagura and she's slumbering within the Southern Air Temple. Do you wish for speedy transport?"

"That would be appreciated." The waterbender said, gripping onto Aang's hand tightly. Phoenix rose and placed her hand on their eyes, closing both the pairs. They felt the heat and once opening their eyes they were on the very tip of a rooftop looking balanced. He yelped slightly, throwing the two off balance and left to fly off the pointed roof. In time he threw out his staff, the wings catching the breeze as he swiftly placed Katara's curvy waist in his left hand. They enjoyed the warmth but soon the walls adverted his attention from her hypnotizing eyes leading him to swerve sharply to the right. They swooped over the temple entrance in a circle, finally landing softly on the stone floor, the fog thick and blocking any vision to the mountain tops. It blocked anyone from seeing the two romantically staring deep into one another's eyes, touching noses. Their lips moved towards one another's locking in a kiss and she held him tight, letting up for a minute.

"Are you sure that you're ready for this?"

"Yeah…I think I am."

So they entered the main temple, hearing the quiet sounds of birds courting one another while flitting about the treetops. Their feathers floated down, whisking about in the gentle breezes. The sounds of quiet snoring echoed throughout the courtyard, the fallen leaves carrying its whispers. The red in Aang's palm from gripping his staff just was beginning to fade, rubbing it against the bare bark of the ruined tree. Her face rubbed between his one bare shoulder blade, giving him small shivers. "You can do this. I'll wait for you here. Just go…talk with her."

He smiled and caressed her cheek before descending down the steps alone, bare foot feeling the cold stone beneath him. As always the temple shifted and moved with the wind as well, its entire structure forever uncharted from the world below. He balanced himself on the wall, all fingers spreading with each step going lower and lower with nervous butterflies filling his stomach. And suddenly he was there, standing at the entrance to the bottom courtyard, the bones of his former mentor sitting against a wall. And there she was, snuggled against the skeleton her face shining brilliantly in the sunshine. The bright light reached and pull the color from her hair with bangs slightly covering her forehead tattooed with the infamous blue arrow, slightly darker than his. The dirty blonde hair reached and smothered her mid-back. She was wearing the traditional orange monk outfit, slightly more baggy than his own. Her face was peaceful, still so warm in her cold lifeless position. Aang felt his face flush free of blood and feeling upon seeing her as she slowly turned onto her side fully.

Her eyes finally opened and she yawned, stretching her arms wide and open to the sunlight. She smacked her frail lips together slightly, eyes showing finally. Aang felt himself lost within the silvery glare of her eyes, the iris shining beautifully in an ocean around the small black stone within it. She looked towards him as well, gasping a bit and backing up on all fours. Her whole body tensed up, rubbing eyes slightly with hair blocking her left side. "I-Is it true? Are you really here?"

She stood up to him, a bit shorter to his height. He felt her arrowed hand encircle his face, her trying to realize what stood before her. Her throat closed up slightly, shaking her head with wetted eyes. "You're him. The boy I've seen in my dreams. You are the Avatar correct?"

"Yeah that's me."

She glanced around, slightly afraid. The whole place was barren and aged and she looked at her skin, not a day older than it had been. She clutched her long hair and looked at her tattoos. She caressed her face, trying to hold back the rushing tears. "And they're all gone…" She pointed at the skeleton, staring into his brown eyes, "aren't they?"

He lowered his shoulders, hanging his head. "Yes."

It took a few minutes for her to process this, moaning a bit while falling to her knees as her tears just poured from her eyes in puddle-full splotches. She covered her head completely as Aang lowered down, holding her to calm and comport her. "Shh..." He whispered, rubbing her fabric-lain back up and down. She slowly began to cease, body completely shaking in knowing that everything had changed. He shared her pain before, knowing how much it hurt. The two stared at one another, developing feelings enveloping their souls. He knew what this meant, another chance for the Airbenders survival but also felt himself falling for this girl, like he had with Katara.

"I'm Kagura…" She told silently with blush entering her face.

"I'm Aang."

It would be the beginning of a strange journey full of love, deceit and hope.


	3. The Problem

Chapter Two:

Katara walked down to see the two standing close to one another. She smiled seeing that they were happy but was wondering why it took him so long to find her. "Hello there." She said upon the two catching glimpses of each other's eyes. "I am Kagura who are you?"

"Katara." She cocked her head slightly, bangs bobbing along with it, "That's neat! Our names sound alike." Kagura could tell that that she had some connection to him just by the way her eyes shone when she stared at the Avatar but didn't base her feelings on just the way this waterbender looked. Instead she attempted to create a gust of air to propel her onto the temple's outer garden walls but all that concluded was a small draft. Aang stared at her briefly, watching as she pranced around trying to gather wind.

"What are you doing?" Katara asked almost chuckling at the way she appeared, dancing to a beat of her own as her baggy orange clothes flowed gently in waves of fabric. The female airbender turned around, feeling hot blush upon her crush chuckling slightly. She scratched the back of her head, looking down at the ground sadly,

"Well, I'm trying to airbend but…I'm just a newbie. Last time I spent time with the nuns, I had just received my tattoos." She sighed, "And now that everybody is gone…there's nobody to teach me."

Katara felt guilt enter her bones, remembering years ago when Aang discovered about the death of his nomadic clan. She felt her pain, knowing of loss. The difference was for them it was a whole lot more than just one person.

Aang's shoulders fell down. He knew the feeling of just starting the martial art, it being one of the most difficult to master. And with none of the monks or nuns about, there was no one to teach this beautiful young woman. So the Avatar stood up, like he always did and offered an open palm to her. "Kagura…I'll be your teacher."

"Aang." Katara snapped, eyes growing wide with anger and losing the loving sheen. Kagura could feel the intense hatred in her voice, a cold shiver running down her spine. "You promised that we could go to the South Pole to check on Gran-Gran and Paku."

He caressed her waist with his small hands, placing forehead on hers. "Listen, we'll go there soon. But Katara…this is an opportunity we cannot miss. This is another Airbender, people we thought were long gone besides me! And she needs a trainer. I can't turn her away." Despite his loving voice, she turned away and crossed her arms with a huffy stance. He continued to plea, "Katara, a week max. And then we'll travel the world over twice if you want me to."

"So what am I going to do?"

"Take Appa for a spin! Go down to the villages and shop. Just please give me some time and then we'll be all alone together."

Katara huffed once more, pacing her feet heavily towards the striped bison, causally chewing on a haystack. She straddled him silently but nearly refused when she saw that Aang followed her, holding her from behind. He gave her a slightly wetted kiss on the cheek. She felt suddenly alive once more, turning around lovingly while holding him back. Her head fell onto his chest and slowly rose up to place her lips on his, the two closing eyes in the moment. It lasted too shortly as he lowered down, patting his bison with pride. "All right. See you later. Yip, yip."

With that Appa launched from the ground leaving a dazed Katara now wanting to go shopping and stay at the village hotel just for him. Aang turned to Kagura as the sun began to set and his eyes caught the locks of her hair by the orange radiant glow beyond. His eyes couldn't be swayed from the image of her face, smiling wonderfully in the breeze. Her sharp eyes caught this and she blushed slightly. Trying to sway the moment she turned her head to see the fur flying.

"Appa?" she asked with a hyper tone, watching as the bison was flying down the mountainside. "Doesn't that mean uhm…orange?"

"Apple actually. I fed him one before naming him."

Kagura smiled, throwing her arms out with a gust following it nearly blowing Aang away, "I'm so excited that you're going to teach me! Thank you so much Mr. Avatar."

"Call me Aang!" He said, slightly giggling. The two stared at one another as she continued to spin out of control, attempting to bend the air once more. Her eyes started to get dizzy, the whole world seeming to shake as she flailed her arms trying to regain her balance. Aang held out his arms and caught her gracefully, looking down at her, the hairs finally slowing and slamming gently against her bosom. Even though hidden behind her baggy clothing, he could tell they were shaped to perfection. She blinked her blue eyes towards him and attempted to struggle free of his grip. "C'mon, we've gotta train!"

He stood straight up, leading her by the wrist into the open courtyard with the statue of Monk **Gyatso **watching them carefully. She looked up towards the statue's lifeless eyes, sadly glaring into them with guilt. Aang shifted his body into a graceful stance, stretching his arm out to full length and she followed suit, watching as he began to ease his body into a swift movement.

"You have to make sure you're light on your feet. Keep a close watch to the skies and let happy things enter your mind." He advised, watching as she repeated his moves. If he even made a twitch, she'd try to replicate it. Her eyes, the blue softness seemed to burn through his entire soul. Perhaps it was because this girl reminded him so much of Katara that these feelings were emerging.

"Happy thoughts." She murmured, gracefully flowing her steps into a windy dance, the air following suit to the rhythm of her fingertips. He beamed upon seeing this and bowed. "See it doesn't take that long to master it."

"Well," She told looking up at the juicy peaches growing from a gnarled tree in the rock gardens, "I had practiced a lot to get the tattoos. The nun I was training with…her name was Anah." Kagura whipped her staff from the ground, twirling it around slightly. She was very much like a mother to me, and always raised me to be gentle and kind. I think she was the one who saved me." With a well-aimed shot, she sliced the ripest peach from the branch and caught it with the end of her staff. The juice simply oozed from her mouth as she took a bite into it. He felt almost mesmerized, trying not to let the feeling overcome him so. He was focused on one girl at the time, but was so lost in what Kagura did. She was different, and he felt a certain need to be beside her. But he just met her! What was he thinking?

She looked at him with confusion at his blank stare, eyebrows slightly lowered. She offered the peach and blinked a few times, "Do you want any?"

"No…no it's fine." He felt terrible for falling in love with this girl so quickly but the truth was before Katara there were girls that Aang had been interested in. The nuns only allowed the boys to see the girls during special occasions but Kagura reminded him so much of a girl that he used to chat with before.

That evening as the moon began to rise, the two sat on the tallest balcony with Kagura dangling her legs off the side of the patterned railing. She stared down into the mist, listening for and birds as the sleeping Momo rested on her shoulder. Aang stroked his long ears and looked down upon the female airbender. "Man, I just can't believe this."

"What?" She asked, cracking her knuckles slightly to relieve them of stiffness.

He scratched his head, feeling the slight fuzziness from his re-growing hair. "That there's another Airbender, just like me. Well, except I'm the Avatar."

She gave a tiny giggle at this, standing up while leaning against the banister and crossing her arms towards him. "And you're the same age as me and everything. How did you manage to do that?"

"You know what…I'm not even sure myself. After the fire nation began attacking, everything from there is a blur. All I remember is waking up to see you after that."

Aang gulped and found himself blushing when the wind picked up her hair. She looked at him closely and asked, "Are you sure you're alright?"


	4. The Solution

Chapter Three:

Aang continued to blush seeing her clothes hit her perfectly in the balmy winds, her eyes glaring with a determined shock. Her shyness didn't exceed her emotions at this time so she kept looking at him. "Well? What's the matter with you?"

"Well…" He could feel his entire body tense up, each muscle twitching in his feeling. "I've kinda got a tiny little crush on you…"

As soon as she heard this, Kagura's face completely lit in a blush of red, throwing her body around. "Well, you better get to your girlfriend Katara. I've got to go myself." And with that, she launched herself over the edge, balanced on her golden and red staff, looking towards the horizon.

Aang felt ashamed of himself for having such feelings, knowing he was the Avatar trying to bring a sound balance to the world. And yet he couldn't even find a peace with the feelings inside himself. He took her words, watching as the last hope for the airbenders was floating away. Her body even then looked like a dream come true, curves mimicking the pattern of the calm winds, hair parting in silk. He gave a saddened sigh, but was brightened by the idea of meeting the one he truly cared for.

Kagura landed on a lone mountain top, feet caressing the crumbling rocks where patterns of goat's hooves were visible. The ground beneath was surprisingly soft to her bare feet. She looked at her tattoos, the navy blue reflecting from her pale skin against the dark brown background. A green item caught the corner of her eye, looking over her shoulder to see that it was the beginning of a blossoming flower. Its fragrance made her relax slightly, looking towards the temple through the misty fog.

A sound made her ears twitch and she gasped, hiding behind the stringy leaves of a tattering tumbleweed bush. The rolling pebbles fell down the mountainside as she covered her eyes from the oncoming person. Being extremely shy and new to this world a hundred years later without a clue, she was prone to hiding from danger rather than facing it head on.

The bushes were parted and she felt her bangs being lifted to view her arrow fully. "Hey, you're an Airbender. I thought you were the avatar guy for a minute."

She opened her eyes upon the kind voice, eyes gazing into the set of wheels. Confused she looked up to see a boy about her age looking down at her from the comfort of his wheelchair. She saw that his legs were tightly bound, a set of orange aviator glasses setting atop his brown colored bangs. His dark brown eyes scanned her body, blushing upon seeing her bosom underneath baggy clothing. She sat upright curiously, shyly, backing slightly away when he offered a hand. "Hey are you alright?" He asked, a sound of worry in his voice.

She felt her stomach becoming shaky upon just seeing this man, his face gleaming in the sunlight. His whole aura seemed calm and fun-loving, reflective of her.

She began to slightly smile, giving way so her hand would rise up. His grip tightened around her small wrist, lifting her up so she stood dizzied near his transportation. "Woah…" He said, straightening her up. "Hey there are you sure you are okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just a little dizzy from flying that far. I just recently mastered airbending." Kagura giggled looking down at him as he giggled slightly as well. The two found each other blushing. "Uhm hey, I'm Kagura by the way. I'm sorry I was hiding from you."

"That's perfectly fine. My name is Teo. My dad's an inventor."

-A few weeks later-

Love always finds a way to live on through time itself. Despite his previous errors, Aang found himself falling for Katara all over again. He cuddled with her in the midst of a secluded field, his body lying near hers almost too close in their love. He pulled his fingers gently through her silky dark hair, kissing her fair light brown cheeks as she rubbed his back. She was so gentle and caring as most waterbenders were. They gave passionate kisses, so filling it was hard to express.

And meanwhile in the airs above, love was just as deep if not more as Kagura sat on the lap of her new boyfriend, Teo. His chair flew in the wind currents freely, the two sharing a passionate kiss as they traveled across the moon's rays. And what of their love? Well that is another tale to tell.


End file.
